Switch-stand



Patented Sept. 14, 1886.

(No Model.)

H. V. HINGKLBY.

SWITCH STAND.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOW ARD V. HINCKLEY, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

SWITCH -STAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,968, dated September 14, 1886.

Application filed May 21, 1886. Serial No. 202,9").

To all whom/ it may concern.-

Be it known that l, HOWARD V. HINOKLEY, a citizen of the United States, and residing at T0 peka, county of Shawnee, and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Switch Stands, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements inrailroad-switch stands where the throwing-lever revolves in a vertical plane about a fulcrum at one end of lever near the ground, such a lever being commonly known as a tumble lever, and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide an automatic stop and hold for the lever in its central position, and, second, to provide a convenient means of looking it in that position. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional view of stand on a plane parallel with the railroad-track, and showing automatic lugs. Fig. 2 is plan of stand with semicircular rim removed to show mechanism below. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of stand.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The fulcrum about which the tumble-lever E revolves is the shaft S, which extends in a direction which is in most of its length parallel with the railroad-track, and which throws the required mechanism or combination of switch bars and rails. Thelever E is provided with a flange, K, extending over and down behind the semicircular rimFof the stand. The washers O and D having been shrunk onto the shaft S, the shaft is then placed in position,and the journal-cover P is secured by lag-screws. The flange K of the lever is then placed over the rim F of the stand, and the lever then secured to the shaft at L in Fig. 1. This being done, the flange K, depending over the rim F, serves two purposes: first, to steady and guide the lever in its motion through the vertical planein case of any looseness of the lever-fastening upon the shaft at L; second, to provide the locking device hereinafter described. The two lugs A turn freely upon a horizontal pivot pin or shaft, G, upon which they are separated by a collar, B, which is shrunk onto said pivotpin before being placed into position in its (No mo el journal-bearings. The lever in being raised from either horizontal position to its center or vertical position encounters the beveled face of the nearest lug A, (see Fig. 2,) and throws that lug back out of its way, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. The other lug A stops the lever at its proper vertical position, and the thrown lug, having most of its weight on the lever side of the pivot-pin, as shown in Fig. 2, is returned at once by force of gravity to its normal position, and the lever is securely held on both sides by the lugs A.

\Vhen it is desired to throw the lever into either horizontal position, a touch of the switehmans foot to the proper lug pushes it.

away and the lever is readily thrown,when the lug again returns to its normal position, ready always to do its duty, and by prompt automatic action, avoiding the delays and dangers often occurring where stops and holds for the lever are not self-acting. The lugs A may be pivoted near the bottom, as shown, or may be pivoted near the top,with their greater weight on the side of pivot-pin remote from the lever; but to secure a longer bevel on their faces I prefer to put the heavy side toward the lever and the pivot nearer the bottom of the lugs, substantially as shown. The two lugs may also be made as one, omitting the separating-collar B; but as this construction would be-less effective as a lever-stop I prefer the construction here shown. The semicircular rim F has a depending rim on rear side in Fig. 3, which does not show in Fig. 1, as the section is taken through the slot in which the locking-lug H operates. The locking-lug H operates upon a pin passing through the bifurcated depending rim K, and is several times as thick and heavy on the end marked H in Fig. 1 as it is on the K. The heavy end of the lug II is therefore prevented from going down, and, remaining in the slot T of the vertical semicircular rim of stand, holds the switch securely locked in posit-ion till the padlock is removed. When the padlock is removed, the heavy end of the lug H falls, the perforated end goes into the slot in the bifurcated rim K above it, (see Fig. 8,) and the lever can be readily thrown.

The semicircular rim F may be provided with two additional slots, T, for locking the lever when in its horizontal positions; but on account of the ease with which a lock may generally be applied through a staple in the end of the lever to a fastening driven into or bolted to the head-block, tic, or stand itself, and for the reason that the loekinglug II will not be automatic if used in the slots T, I prefer, generally, to omit the slots 'l" in construetion.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a railroad-switch stand having a Vertical semicircularrim, F, the automatic lug or lugs A, constructed and operated beneath said rim and upon thepivot-pin G. substantially as desrribed, for stopping and holding the tumble-lever.

2. In a railroad-switch stand, the pivot-pin G, in combination with the rim F, the switchlcver 1a, the lug or lugs A, either with or without the collar 13, and made and operating substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In arailroad-switch stand, the bifnrcai ed flange K, projecting and depending over the semicircular rim F, which stands in a vertical are, for guiding the lever and holding the device that receives the padlock, substantially as shown.

4. In a railroad-switch stand, the automatic lug II, for receiving the hasp of the padlock, in combination with the bifurcated and depending flange K, the rim F, and the lever 16, constructed substantially as shown and described.

5. A railroad-switch stand havingavertical semicircular rim provided with the slot T, whose center is in the vertical plane thatpasscs through the center line of the shaft S at L, parallel with the main track,and also provided with the slots 1", whose centers are in a horizontal plane passing through the center line of the shaft S at L, said slots acting with the locking-lug II in securing the switch in its different positions, as described.

6. The combination, in a railroad-switch stand, of the slot T, the slots T, the perforated locking-lug II, the projecting and depending flange, K of the lever E, and the rim I 7. ]'n a railroadswitch stand, the combination of the locking-lug II, the slot '1. and slots T, the projecting, depending, and bifurcated flange K, the pivot-pin G, the lug or lugs A, and the collar B, with the rim F, lever E, and shaft S.

IIO\VART) V. IIINGKLEY.

\Vitnesses:

G. A. LinrrENnnnu, J. E. LnFm'cU. 

